(Part 4)

“How long will he be gone for?” Jongin’s voice, although soft, boomed through the hall of the almost empty house. He continued to pour water into a mug for Jongin, making sure not to use Sehun’s for whatever reason he wasn’t sure himself. It was the day after Sehun’s departure and he tried to control it but he had never felt more alone. Jongin was there because Taemin had asked him to accompany Baekhyun (although he has no idea why Jongin would do anything Taemin asked).

The question had him pursing his lips, heaving out a shaky breath because all he could see then was Sehun, and the way Sehun had looked when he left. He chuckled to hide it, bringing the mug out front to the living room. “Five days,” He finally replied, handing Jongin the mug.

The tanned boy took a big gulp, as if parched. “That’s not very long so it’s not that bad.”

Baekhyun nodded silently to himself. He couldn’t help but think that Taemin was still a little upset with him, despite him staying over two nights before. It was stupid, though, because how could Taemin be here when his mother needed him more than Baekhyun did? It was never awkward with Jongin – he had worked with the latter for almost two years now but seeing as Jongin looked about ready to pass out, Baekhyun felt guilty for troubling the younger. He was about to say something when his phone started to ring and a foreign number appeared on the screen.

He squealed almost silently, his free hand that wasn’t holding the phone waved almost as if he was spazzing. Excited and heart racing against his chest, Baekhyun finally answered the call.

“Baek, baby?” Came the very familiar voice that belonged to none other than Sehun. For a second, Baekhyun considered reprimanding the younger for not calling as soon as he reached his destination, but his excitement overweighed everything else.

“Sehun-ah! You finally called.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t call earlier. I had problems with the accommodations.” Baekhyun grinned at the sound of Sehun’s voice, finding it rather impossible that had missed it so much. There was a soft snoring coming from Jongin, already asleep even though it was barely three in the afternoon.

“It’s not like Kibum to not have everything arranged. Is everything okay now?”

“Kibum had everything ready. Only there were some misunderstandings since the room was booked under Taemin’s name.” Sehun explained, his voice soft and soothing to Baekhyun’s ears.

Jongin’s snoring grew louder and Baekhyun chuckled at it, getting up to hide in the kitchen. Smiling to himself, Baekhyun cleared his throat. “Did you sleep well, Sebunny?”

“Did you really just give me a new nickname?” Sehun chuckled as well, “Not really. I kept thinking about you.” His reply made Baekhyun blush even though Sehun couldn’t see him.

“Yeah, I could say the same.”

There was a pause, and then Sehun’s question came hesitantly, “You’re not alone, are you?”

Baekhyun chuckled, knew Sehun would ask. “Nope. Jongin is here.”

“Jongin? What’s Jongin doing at home?” There was some edge to Sehun’s voice and Baekhyun could almost picture the frown on Sehun’s forehead. He wanted to laugh but instead of letting another chuckle leave his lips, his hand covered his mouth to stop it from escaping.

His cheeks were beginning to hurt from his smiling and he didn’t know why his eyes watered – it must have been the dust. He turned so he could look out the window, imagined Sehun thousands of miles away as he gaze longingly at the blue of the sky. “Taemin couldn’t accompany me today because his mother has yet to recover, so he sent Jongin to look after me. I honestly think I don’t need any babysitting but Taemin insisted. Did you make him promise something?”

He could feel the jealousy in Sehun’s voice dissipate and was glad that even though Sehun gets jealous all the time, he never once doubted Baekhyun’s faithfulness. “I may have made him promise me something, but trust me, he would have done it anyway even if I hadn’t made him cry.”

Baekhyun laughed, louder than he should before stopping and turning his head to see that Jongin was awake once again. He smiled at tanned boy, who gave him a lazy one in return, before turning back to face the window. “You’re mean to Taemin, aren’t you? He’s really adorable, though.”

There was a content sigh coming from the other end of the line, and Baekhyun dreaded it but he knew what Sehun would say next. “Love, I got to get going. We’re meeting up the secretary tonight before the meeting tomorrow night. I’ll call you again?”

Trying not to sound too disappointed, Baekhyun hummed. “It’s alright. I have some work I need to get done as well. I might as well just use the time since Jongin is here.”

“Yeah,” Sehun paused, repeated. “Yeah, Jongin’s there. Take care, and I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Very soon, I hope.”

“And baobei?”

“Hm?”

Sehun’s chuckle was low and Baekhyun could imagine listening to that rumbling within his chest. “I love you and I missed you already.”

His words made Baekhyun smile, although it was harder now to hang up. “I love and missed you too.”

The silence was meant to say that Sehun expected more and Baekhyun gave him more but he couldn’t voice it. I love you so much, he said, but it was silent and there was no way Sehun could have heard him. I want you to come home, he continued but his voice stayed in his throat and he would have croaked it out but it just wouldn’t come until Sehun ended the call with another promise to call again.

I love you so much.

Tapping the top of the pen against his lips, there was a frown that sits on Baekhyun’s forehead. His head was beginning to throb from all the thinking, eyes beginning to droop after hours spent facing his laptop screen. The report he was supposed to type out was due the next day and Chanyeol, his boss, would be displeased if he delayed the submission. Chanyeol is too young to be that uptight but Baekhyun guessed his childhood must have been hard. He’s pretty sure Chanyeol still tolerates half of his because that giant has a cute little crush on Baekhyun’s photographer, Jongin. Baekhyun wanted to laugh, a smile tugging at his lips as the thought crossed his mind. Almost everyone he knows crushes on Jongin. That poor boy, he thought silently to himself.

Releasing a sigh, Baekhyun flipped through the pages of the data he had collected. The recent event he had been hired to under the photography segment was over a month ago and half of him was grateful that Sehun had to leave only because he could finally get his works done without any (y) distractions. Baekhyun groaned, regretting ever letting Sehun surface on the shores of his thoughts. He glanced at his phone, half expecting that it would flash and Sehun’s number would appear. Sehun must be in that important meeting with the Chinese CEO (Taemin filled him up on it so he knows). Baekhyun chewed at his bottom lip, fingers flying across the keyboard and typing out what he had analyzed from the data.

It seemed like another hour had passed when he finally finished editing the whole report. His eyelids had doubled from fatigue and he stretched his arms up above his head after turning his laptop off. Not bothering to pile up his notes, Baekhyun left them aside before crawling onto the awfully empty bed. He was pretty sure he might fall asleep just as soon as he closed his eyes but decided he should send Sehun a goodnight text when his phone flashed and the number Sehun used appeared. It had him grinning instantly and despite his tired eyes, he answered it quickly.

“Bubu!” He exclaimed, a name he hadn’t used on Sehun for a while and just then he realized he had missed it. There was a chuckle from the other end of the line. “How did the meeting go?”

Sehun sounded tired and far away, although his voice was still laced with the same affection he’s always had for Baekhyun. “I’m sorry I called you so late. The meeting went pretty well, actually. Good means longer time spent chatting up each other so it got delayed. Are you off to bed?”

As if on cue, Baekhyun yawned, blinking sleep back from his eyes. “I was about to send you a goodnight text, after finishing the report. I’m so tired and I missed you, bubu.” Baekhyun jutted his bottom lip out in a pout even though Sehun couldn’t see it but by the way Sehun had cooed with an ‘aww’, he knew his boyfriend was picturing it.

“I missed you more, baobei. You might have to get used to it, though. I heard Kibum was thinking of giving me a promotion. Next time I’m gone, it might be for a long, long time.” Baekhyun noticed the slight crack in Sehun’s voice but decided not to give it much though, although there was a sudden weight that clashed at his chest, for that fleeting moment. Sehun must have noticed his own voice cracking because he hid it with another chuckle.

The topic itself was making Baekhyun heavy-hearted, sighing as he yawned again. “I will try to get used to it. I mean, if you get promoted, you’d definitely be rewarded a compulsory celebratory ,” At this, he goggle and Sehun lets out a playful groan. “And you could get yourself a new car and I promise, I won’t dent it. But it also means you’ll be gone a lot. And I’ll miss you a lot and I’d wish I could tag along but I have work that I can’t leave behind. Unless, of course, I switch to full-time house wife or husband, whatever.”

He knew he was blabbering, something he often does whenever his exhausted and he knew Sehun’s used to it so he doesn’t bother apologizing. Sehun hummed, snickering. “Well, we’ll discuss it when I get home. You should sleep now, precious. Goodnight and dream of me.”

Baekhyun giggled again (he won’t deny it this time), rubbing at his tired eyes. “Goodnight, bubu.. I’ll definitely dream about you. Saranghae.”

“I love you too. And, oh, Baek hyung?” Sehun interrupted and Baekhyun hummed. “Can you promise me something?”

“Anything for you, Sehunnie.”

There was a pause then came Sehun’s rather shaky reply. “Don’t ever forget to smile. I fell in love with you the moment you flashed them at me.”

Baekhyun squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden tears that pooled in them, not sure why he was being emotional again before he nodded as if Sehun could see him. He inhaled a shaky breath, releasing it with a plastered smile. “Of course, Sehun. I won’t ever forget.”

But even if he had remembered, what could ever have stopped his tears?

For the first time in almost two years being Jongin’s manager, Baekhyun saw the latter frowning. The tanned younger’s gaze was focused on the screen of his phone, busy typing out whatever text message he had to send. Baekhyun let him be, taking a seat at his place in the office before stretching his arms up above his head for a stretch. He yawned once again, tired from lack of sleep. After the call with Sehun ended, his tired eyes wouldn’t let him go to sleep, and he ended up awake until it was nearly four. When quiet in an almost empty house, it was only natural for him to shed a tear or two.

It was somehow ridiculous how he had been getting these uneasy feelings that tugged at his heart, as if it was trying to let him know about something. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the exact emotions that had been bombarded at him and like usual, Baekhyun tried to push it aside. He made a conclusion that he had only missed Sehun so much to have felt that way (and noted that it really isn’t healthy).

As he sat back, his gaze caught a framed picture of himself with Sehun decorating his desk. It was a picture taken two years ago, with Sehun’s arms securely wrapped around his waist in a back hug. They were both smiling into the camera and Baekhyun remembered going through that very moment. He could feel a smile tugged at his lips and he leaned forward to take the frame off his desk. He found his thumb caressing Sehun in the picture, cheeks stung from grinning and heart racing for absolutely no reason. Without him knowing it, a lone tear escaped his eye and fell down his cheek, to which he hastily wiped away. He wanted to laugh, really, but he wanted to cry as well. There was just something in the beauty that Sehun carried, portraying a soul that has loved Baekhyun with all of him.

He ended up clutching the framed picture to his chest, head resting on an arm that was on his desk so as to not let anyone know that he had been crying again. Why the am I crying anyway? He asked himself, raising his head to once again look at the picture.  It isn’t like Sehun’s dead or something, he thought, shaking his head. I’ll just give him all that he deserves when he gets back. Nodding to himself, Baekhyun wore another smile and carefully placed the frame back on the desk.

Baekhyun startled with a gasp when he leaned back only to meet with Chanyeol’s brooding and looming over his desk, an awkward smile tugging at the taller’s lips as if forced. He wanted to laugh, because even though smiling looks good on Chanyeol, this forced one doesn’t. He bit at his lower lip to keep from laughing, standing up and taking out the report he had written from his bag. Handing it to Chanyeol, his boss took it with a thanks and Baekhyun sat back down on his chair.

But Chanyeol didn’t leave and Baekhyun pursed his lips, drumming his fingers on the desk and looking up at his boss expectantly. He wasn’t always this awkward with Chanyeol but the taller male hardly ever laughed at his jokes so he stopped trying. Chanyeol cleared his throat, brows knitted as if he’s concentrating on how to ask what he wanted to ask. Finally, he spoke.

“I saw you crying earlier.” He said, voice deep and slightly hoarse from lack of use. “Is everything alright? If you need the time off, I think everything should be fine.”

So Chanyeol is concerned, Baekhyun thought silently to himself, nodding his head and flashing his boss a grateful smile. “It’s okay, Yeollie. I’m perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern.”

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